NADH

Coenzyme 1

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Chronic fatigue syndrome¹ Maximum heart rate on exercise² Anxiety symptoms³ Muscle insulin sensitivity³ Quality of life³	Pregnancy or nursing⁴ Before planned surgery⁴ Diabetes or metabolic disorder⁴

Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is the electron-carrying coenzyme that feeds the mitochondrial electron transport chain to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP)⁵. Supplementation aims to support cellular energy, mainly for fatigue in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, alone or with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)^{1, 6}. Smaller bodies of work cover anxiety, exercise heart rate, and insulin sensitivity³.

Systematic reviews report fatigue reductions with NADH and with NADH plus CoQ10, but conclude the evidence is insufficient given small, heterogeneous studies^{1, 6}. In a 2026 mouse model of mitochondrial progeria, nicotinamide riboside improved cardiac contractility but caused NADH accumulation and worsened anemia; no human trial has tested this. More than 600 products listing NADH are sold, mostly capsules, with lozenges and tablets also available; see Form comparison.

Reviews describe NADH as well tolerated, with muscle pain, sleep disturbance, and headache most common and none serious³. Per product labeling, people with diabetes or hypoglycemia, those taking medication, and those planning surgery are told to consult a doctor first⁴.

Last updated October 15, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

46 sources, 31 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources